Lake Trout with Grape Salsa
Even though we think of salsa as necessarily involving tomatoes, onions, and garlic, “salsa” just means “sauce” in Spanish…which kicks the pantry cupboard doors wide open to interpretation. (There’s also the dancing kind of salsa, but I won’t even get started on that for fear of ditching my food writer’s post in favor of the nearest Latin club!) You can have sweet salsas or savory salsas, creamy salsas or spicy salsas, fruit-based salsas or even meat-based salsas.
To accompany fish dishes, I like to throw together a simple salsa consisting of chopped veggies and/or fruits, a splash of citrus, and maybe some garlic or pepper. The light, cool flavor makes a refreshing contrast to hot-out-of-the-pan fish. Not only that, both sautéed fish and freshly chopped salsa are ridiculously easy to make, so you’ll have a flavorful, fit-for-guests dinner in about 20 minutes. Feel free to come up with your own homemade salsas by substituting various chopped fruits for the grapes in this recipe. (Likewise, while the radishes add an earthy, mildly spicy dimension that pairs well with sweet fruit, you don’t have to include them. Jicama or water chestnuts would provide a similar flavor and crunch…or skip the garlic and go with onions to provide the crunch.)
Lake Trout with Grape Salsa
I love fish and generally eat 1/2 pound per serving, so in my opinion, this recipe serves 2 for dinner. If you serve a side dish or appetizer with it, though, you could stretch it to 4 servings.
Pat of ghee or butter for sautéeing (you can also use extra-virgin olive oil, but the ghee or butter will spatter less)
1 pound lake or rainbow trout, rinsed with cold water and patted dry
1 small clove garlic, minced
About 12 grapes, quartered
3 radishes, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Heat ghee in a shallow, wide saucepan over medium-low heat for 1 minute or until ghee is melted. (I use mark 4 out of 10.) Place trout onto pan SKIN SIDE UP and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until you can see that the flesh has turned opaque about halfway up, indicating that the pan-side-down side has cooked through. Very carefully flip the fish so that the skin side is down. Cover pan and cook for another 7-8 minutes or until you can gently insert a fork into the thickest part of the fish and see that it flakes cleanly and that the flesh is opaque all the way through. Do NOT overcook the fish! It might take more than 10 minutes to fully cook, but you’re better off checking early and often rather than overcooking the fish and drying it out. (Once you’ve sautéed a few fish, you’ll get the hang of knowing when a fillet is done. Fish fillets do vary quite a bit in thickness, though, so there is no hard-and-fast cooking time.)
While the fish is cooking, mix together the garlic, grapes, radishes, and lime juice in a small mixing bowl.
When the fish is done, slide a spatula underneath the flesh, letting the skin separate and stick to the pan. (This is the reason why you want to cook it skin side down LAST, not first.) Spoon salsa over the top of the fish and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Lake Trout with Grape Salsa
Even though we think of salsa as necessarily involving tomatoes, onions, and garlic, “salsa” just means “sauce” in Spanish…which kicks the pantry cupboard doors wide open to interpretation. (There’s also the dancing kind of salsa, but I won’t even get started on that for fear of ditching my food writer’s post in favor of the nearest Latin club!) You can have sweet salsas or savory salsas, creamy salsas or spicy salsas, fruit-based salsas or even meat-based salsas.
To accompany fish dishes, I like to throw together a simple salsa consisting of chopped veggies and/or fruits, a splash of citrus, and maybe some garlic or pepper. The light, cool flavor makes a refreshing contrast to hot-out-of-the-pan fish. Not only that, both sautéed fish and freshly chopped salsa are ridiculously easy to make, so you’ll have a flavorful, fit-for-guests dinner in about 20 minutes. Feel free to come up with your own homemade salsas by substituting various chopped fruits for the grapes in this recipe. (Likewise, while the radishes add an earthy, mildly spicy dimension that pairs well with sweet fruit, you don’t have to include them. Jicama or water chestnuts would provide a similar flavor and crunch…or skip the garlic and go with onions to provide the crunch.)
Lake Trout with Grape Salsa
I love fish and generally eat 1/2 pound per serving, so in my opinion, this recipe serves 2 for dinner. If you serve a side dish or appetizer with it, though, you could stretch it to 4 servings.
Pat of ghee or butter for sautéeing (you can also use extra-virgin olive oil, but the ghee or butter will spatter less)
1 pound lake or rainbow trout, rinsed with cold water and patted dry
1 small clove garlic, minced
About 12 grapes, quartered
3 radishes, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Heat ghee in a shallow, wide saucepan over medium-low heat for 1 minute or until ghee is melted. (I use mark 4 out of 10.) Place trout onto pan SKIN SIDE UP and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until you can see that the flesh has turned opaque about halfway up, indicating that the pan-side-down side has cooked through. Very carefully flip the fish so that the skin side is down. Cover pan and cook for another 7-8 minutes or until you can gently insert a fork into the thickest part of the fish and see that it flakes cleanly and that the flesh is opaque all the way through. Do NOT overcook the fish! It might take more than 10 minutes to fully cook, but you’re better off checking early and often rather than overcooking the fish and drying it out. (Once you’ve sautéed a few fish, you’ll get the hang of knowing when a fillet is done. Fish fillets do vary quite a bit in thickness, though, so there is no hard-and-fast cooking time.)
While the fish is cooking, mix together the garlic, grapes, radishes, and lime juice in a small mixing bowl.
When the fish is done, slide a spatula underneath the flesh, letting the skin separate and stick to the pan. (This is the reason why you want to cook it skin side down LAST, not first.) Spoon salsa over the top of the fish and serve immediately.
Enjoy!